Journaling my genealogy research online seems to be the right thing to do for the future of my research rather than hiding it away in some box or drawer in my home. This blog is more of a diary of my research which expands as I go. Know that a post from last year may have more updated research in a different post. I love the discovery process which has resulted in such wonderful success in finding my roots. If you comment and are looking for a response, please leave me an email address.

Note: For privacy reasons, living people are not identified in this blog without permission.

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The Irish Settlement and Beyond

Index to Zelsersk's Genealogy Blog Posts

Relating to the Irish Settlement

Newport, Herkimer County, New York and Beyond.

If you found this blog and this index page, then you might be looking for those Irish families who left Ireland and ended up at the Irish Settlement in Newport, Herkimer County, New York and the surrounding areas.

I am a McLaughlin, Maxwell, Gartlan, and Fox descendant. It was not until April 2010 that I discovered the Irish Settlement. I thought to myself, "Where is that and what is that place?" I wanted to know more. I found and sought any McLaughlin's and Maxwell's who could tell me more. I succeeded and found more information than I ever could have hoped for. These blog posts below reflect gathered information and research from various people and sources. I also have some Shaffrey research at the very bottom. They were from County Meath too and related by marriage to the Maxwell's.

Each title below is a clickable hyperlink that takes you to the original post. Feel free to comment on these posts and enjoy reading them. The posts are listed in chronological order of my discoveries and broken up into each family line Know that while the information may not be perfect, it is approaching exceptional as the information about my family tree has been researched by many a Maxwell and McLaughlin relative. From the first post to the recent posts, the information is updated and corrected as I diary my work in this blog. The posts also include family lines that went West and to Montello, WI.

I give special thanks to a few researchers who have contributed to my collection and paved the way for the rest of us to easily find our family roots. I respect the privacy of those living individuals but will outwardly acknowledge that there is a McLaughlin descendant who has provided several of us with a wonderful 34 page document of the "Descendents of Thomas McLaughlin". I also thank a living Maxwell for his help in pinpointing our Maxwell's and sending me in the absolute correct direction to find my McLaughlin's.

A living relative who does not want to remain anonymous here is Paul T. McLaughlin. He is a Maxwell and a McLaughlin descendant like myself. His information, photos, and support have been wonderful.

I also must thank those who came before me, but have since passed, and heavily researched our family line. They are Ellen Maxwell Flanagan and Thomas Malloy. It is a real pleasure to walk in their foot steps and have some of their research at hand.

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Photos

"It is a most useful art, this photographing, by which one can from one end of the world to the other [send] a pretty correct representation without writing a word about it."

---Michael Flanagan, written in 1873

The Essence of Genealogy

Below you will find a poem that I found in a "Birthday Book" that belonged to my Grandma. It was the book's dedication by Rev. Hugo W. Hoffmann. I think it represents some of what genealogy is all about.